McGregor, Vikings ready for bounceback

Hannah McGregor has been surrounded by all-stars her whole volleyball career.

Lately, she has shone the brightest of them all, as the AAAA provincial volleyball most valuable player in 2025, leading the Vincent Massey Vikings to a second straight provincial title.

She then moved away for a semester to join one of the top club volleyball teams in the country in Saskatoon.

This season, however, she’s facing a new challenge. The Vikings graduated most of the players she took the floor with as they rarely lost a match throughout her Grade 11 season.

For the first time in her high school career, Massey isn’t ranked in Manitoba’s top 10. That was due to three straight 2-1 losses to end the River City Classic, against the Vincent Massey Trojans, Selkirk Royals and Steinbach Sabres.

McGregor is hoping this weekend will get the program back on track as it hosts the Viking Classic on Friday and Saturday.

“It sucks not winning all the time, but that’s not the part of volleyball that makes you grow. Losing makes you grow and shows your real side,” McGregor said, adding that last weekend is in the past.

“Let’s forget about it, let’s not dwell on it, let’s move on and show our true potential this weekend, especially with our crowd.”

The six-foot-one outside hitter has had plenty of attention on her in the volleyball world for a few years now.

She started for the Vikings varsity squad as a sophomore, as the second option on a team with the province’s top player in Jersey Hansen-Young, who’s now with the University of Manitoba.

The two were both on the Club West team that won 18U provincials a few months later.

Following her MVP performance in 2025, McGregor sought out stronger competition for practice by joining Huskies Volleyball Club in Saskatoon.

The team was one of the best in Saskatchewan and finished tied for fifth at 17U nationals after falling in the quarterfinals to the runner-up Central Alberta club from Red Deer.

She wasn’t sure where she’d spend her senior year at the time, but realized moving back home was best.

“It was really tough for me, especially moving away. I didn’t realize the impact until halfway through the season. I’m glad to be home with my friends, returning to Massey, but I’m glad I had the opportunity to move away and try it out,” McGregor said.

“The biggest challenge was trusting my teammates. I felt like other people didn’t trust me on the court and that’s something I never want to feel again.”

McGregor also felt it was a good experience to prepare her for next year, when she joins the Thompson Rivers University WolfPack in Kamloops, B.C.

While she had looks from multiple schools across the country, the program stood out to her for a few reasons.

“The girls and the coaching. I really like the coach, Chad Grimm,” McGregor said.

“He’s more of a laid-back coach but I love his feedback and love him as a person. I love the area too; it’s really nice and sunny and the girls, I’m already really close with, so I’m excited for next year.

“A decade ago, they weren’t that good so it’s nice to see a school grow and I’d love to be part of that in the future, the legacy.”

For now, McGregor and the Vikings have an outside chance to reach dynasty status with a third-straight title.

She has a solid Grade 12 corps around her, with setter Ayla Church, outside hitter Hollie Brugger, opposite Kennedy Hong and middle blockers Adyson Campbell and Ella VanDaele.

VanDaele is the only other returning starter from the 2025 squad, which had a handful of current U Sports athletes, including Brandon University’s Zoe Redekop and Kaitlyn Couckuyt.

“There’s more new people on the court and we need to learn how to play with each other,” McGregor said.

“Everybody played club together last year and it was more of a close-knit team. This year, it’s more individuals, so we really need to work hard at being a team and bonding with each other.”

On Friday morning and afternoon, Massey’s gymnasium will be the most electric environment in the city. The Vikings face the Stonewall Rams at 11:30 a.m., following the Viking boys’ match against the Daniel McIntyre Maroons at 10:30.

The boys face Regina’s Luther Lions at 12:30 p.m., then the Massey and Luther girls play at 1:30.

The Viking boys cap the school-day matches against another Regina squad in the LeBoldus Suns at 2:30 p.m., before the girls head to the Healthy Living Centre to face the Jeanne-Sauve Olympiens.

There are 16 girls’ teams in four groups, with pool play taking place entirely on Friday.

The top two in each group head to the championship quarterfinals, while the bottom two end up on the consolation side.

All seven boys’ teams are in one group. The round-robin wraps up on Saturday morning, before the top four head to the semifinals.

The boys’ final is at Massey on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., with the girls’ championship match following at 4:30 p.m.

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com